“Here.” Christian tugged her gently into an upright position. With his sleeve, he wiped the rest of the hunter’s blood from her face, his every touch tender despite the fury boiling in his eyes.
“Thank you,” she said as he dropped his arm from her cheek.
He stole an access ring from Gemma’s attacker, and when he spoke, his voice was gruff and angry. “Let’s end this.”
Gemma’s hands shook as they walked cautiously through rows of holding cells.
“Over there.” Christian pointed to where seven individuals huddled in the corner of a metal cage, varying from children to elderly.
They hurried to the cage, and Gemma’s skin crawled. Again, freeing them had been way too easy.
“I’m guessing because that door was barred, they didn’t assume they needed guards in here?” Gemma asked.
“Let’s hope it’s that simple,” Christian mumbled. He held the stolen access ring against the cell’s lock, and the door swung open.
A loud siren blared, and the red lights near the ceiling blazed brighter, flashing.
Christian swore, pressing his rifle against his shoulder and pointing the nose toward where the bounty hunters would come.
Gemma jumped inside the prison cell. All of the captives stared at her with wide eyes, their faces full of terror. She held up her hands. “I’m not here to hurt you. My friend and I are going to get you out of here.”
“Why should we trust you?” one of the middle-aged men quipped.
“What other choice do you have? I’m telling you the truth, but you have to know that if you stay here, you’re going to die.”
The man pressed his lips together and glanced at the ground in front of him.
“Come on, Gemma. We don’t have much time,” Christian muttered from behind her.
“Please,” Gemma begged the captives. “I’m a doctor, and I’ll treat all your wounds once we get out of here, okay? Just, please come with me. They’re going to be here any second.”
They finally began to step toward her. Gemma sighed in relief and, one by one, ushered them from the cage.
“Out the other side.” Christian pointed to the opposite side of the room from where they’d entered. “There’s a false wall near the north corner, like the one in Zion. Reach behind the panel, and it’ll pop loose.”
Gunshots roared from seemingly every direction. Gemma ducked, the captives screaming as they ran toward the wall that would lead them to freedom.
“Get them!” a bounty hunter shouted. “They’re freeing the prisoners!”
White, hot pain exploded in Gemma’s shoulder, her shout echoing with the gunshot. She pressed her fingers against the searing pain, and when she pulled them away, they were coated with blood.
“Go!” Christian pushed Gemma toward the false wall. “Get out of here. I’ll hold them off.” Shots popped from his rifle as he backstepped toward the exit.
Gemma rushed ahead and tore off the section of wall that led to a dark tunnel, grinding her teeth at the nauseating pain in her shoulder.
She waved the captives forward. “Go—run! I’m right behind you.”
Christian yelped.
Gemma spun around. Christian was down on a knee, facing an onslaught of bounty hunters.
Her stomach flopped to her feet. If there were this many, Colton and Imara must not have made it to the mess hall.
They weren’t going to get the captives out alive. Even though the prisoners had made it into the tunnel, it would only be a matter of time before they were chased down.
Still, they had to try.
“Christian, let’s go!” Gemma shouted.
